As the sun slowly rose over the horizon once more, it marked the end of the old day and the arrival of a new one.
While Kaminari and the "Pikachu Band" continued rehearsing and performing in the music hall, the staff of I-Island temporarily paused repairs on the Central Tower and began constructing the stage for the evening event in the entertainment district.
At the same time, they joined forces with news media from around the world to promote the event at full intensity!
I-Island's idea was simple. Since they had suffered an unprecedented villain attack, they would host an equally unprecedented celebration to erase its negative impact.
And this strategy was remarkably effective. Not only did it energize the residents and tourists on the island, but it also shifted the world's attention from the earlier assault to the upcoming entertainment event.
In particular, Kaminari, Kyoka, Momo, Bakugo, and Tokoyami drew enormous attention.
On top of that, the island began looping songs from the Pikachu Band such as "Only My Railgun," "Hero," and "Blue Bird."
Clearly, this was an international collaboration to launch new stars into the spotlight!
Tetsutetsu, Kirishima, Iida, and other Class 1-A students from U.A. High School also began attracting attention.
Especially Mineta, who now took great pleasure in taking strolls and snapping photos with girls who wanted pictures with him.
You could say he'd already achieved the goal he had when he applied to the Hero Course, thanks to his earlier life-risking feat of climbing a section of the Central Tower's outer wall!
As night slowly fell, the various lights across the island lit up, and people began making their way in small groups to the entertainment district.
At this moment, whether it was international scientists, local families, or tourists visiting the island, everyone looked with excitement and laughter toward the five new stages.
That's right—five stages!
Five thick, towering pillars made of different materials and painted in different colors stood at five points on the edge of the entertainment area, rising high into the sky like sentinels.
Powerful lights shone directly on the strange structures, and those with sharp eyes could spot musical instruments placed atop each one.
Meanwhile, five helicopters in various colors hovered in the night sky. The entire scene was grand and breathtaking!
Moreover, live broadcasts had started on television, online platforms, and even on the giant screens in public squares around the world.
Massive amounts of traffic flooded in. Even though the show hadn't started yet, comment streams had already overwhelmed the display screens!
Since the event was hosted by I-Island, the world's leading tech hub, over 60% of the streaming platforms were synchronized.
What did that mean?
It meant the comments from viewers all over the world would appear together and be automatically translated into each country's native language according to the region!
Of course, users could also adjust settings, block comments from certain countries or only view those from their own.
"Dad, I never thought Kaminari would be able to stand on such a huge stage one day…"
Kaminari's mother looked around in amazement, her eyes drawn especially to the tall golden pillar with a black outline of Pikachu on it. Her son had told them he would be performing up there!
"Yeah, I thought the U.A. Sports Festival was already a big deal, but it's nothing compared to this performance." His father smiled proudly while holding Tobio's hand.
"But Uncle, Auntie… it's so high up, we won't be able to see Kaminari-nii and the others perform!" Tobio said worriedly.
"It's okay. I'm sure there'll be a virtual screen, so everyone will be able to see clearly," his mom reassured him with a gentle smile.
On the other side, Tetsutetsu, standing with Kirishima, Iida, and the others, scratched his head and sighed regretfully. "If I knew how to play an instrument, maybe I'd be up there too!"
"Doesn't everyone feel that way?" Ashido said enviously, glancing at the purple pillar with the outline of a Noibat before shifting her gaze to the flesh-colored pillar on the far end with a Vulpix on it.
"But why isn't Bakugo's pillar a fire monkey?" Kirishima asked curiously, pointing at the red pillar in the distance marked with a Cyndaquil.
"Well… knowing Bakugo, he probably refused to be associated with a monkey." Tetsutetsu then mimicked Bakugo's fierce expression and roared, "I don't look like a monkey!!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter at Tetsutetsu's performance. His imitation, facial expression, movement, tone was so accurate that they could practically picture Bakugo roaring in real life.
"But Tokoyami-kun's pillar is a perfect fit." Asui said softly, lips pursed. She was looking at the black pillar outlined with a deep purple raven.
"Yeah, 'perfect' doesn't even cover it. It's basically a chibi version of Tokoyami!" Toru Hagakure added with a giggle, waving her gloved hands.
"Hey everyone!!!"
At that moment, a familiar shout came from behind. Turning around, they saw Midoriya Izuku walking over with All Might, followed by a group of excited European fans.
"All Might…"
Tetsutetsu, Kirishima, and the others looked at each other, a bit dumbfounded at All Might's gaunt appearance. Meanwhile, Ashido, Hagakure, and Ojiro, who weren't in on the secret, reacted as if everything were normal.
"Sorry, sorry! We were having a conversation with the island's management, so we're running a little late," All Might said with a hearty laugh.
Midoriya looked around and smiled. "But it looks like we made it in time since the show hasn't started yet!"
Beep—
Suddenly, most of the lights in the entertainment area dimmed, while the five towering pillars on the perimeter lit up brightly.
First gold, then purple, then flesh-colored, red, and black, followed by the sound of a strange yet moving melody that swept through the entire audience.
"Whoa!!!"
"Look up there!"
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to five massive virtual screens that appeared in the night sky above the pillars.
Each screen corresponded to a pillar, displaying a boy or girl dressed in their respective hero costume!
Each of them was either holding a guitar, bass, or seated behind an electric keyboard or drum set. Clearly, these five were the ones playing the exhilarating, rhythmic music.
"What song is this?" Ochaco Uraraka asked Ashido Mina in confusion.
Ashido shook her head thoughtfully. "I've never heard it before. It must be the new song Kaminari mentioned!"
Not just them—the entire island, and viewers all over the world watching the livestream, were captivated by the alluring melody. Even the on-screen comments had noticeably decreased.
At that moment, Kaminari's mother and father exchanged proud glances before his father smiled and said, "Yes, this is the new song Kaminari composed recently!"
"Then you must know the name, right?" Iida asked.
Looking up at his precious son on the virtual screen, the father replied gently, "He said the name of the opening song is… 'The Passionate Duelists.'"
Just as he finished speaking, the one-minute-and-thirty-seven-second instrumental came to an end but right after, Kaminari's loud, passionate voice rang out.
(To be continued.)
***
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